Jeon Sang IL is a South-Korean 30 years old designer whowants to help solving the disposal problem by creating some new straws and spoons which can be used in different kind of meals like breakfast, or lunch and dinner. In this way, we can reduce the pollution made by disposing lot of plastic cutlery.

This is what he told us about his design and its sustainability.

SOYC: “Can you explain us your project and in which way it can be considered sustainable?”

Jeon: “I designed a waste disposable product making the frame of a straw triangular: in this way the straw is stronger and can be used instead of ordinary disposable chopsticks. Not only the straw: I also designed a spoon making its head bigger in order to be used not only for yogurt but for the entire meal. This progressive disposable product can be used to reduce the number of disposable items that are often wasted.”

SOYC: “What did inspire you?”

Jeon: “My inspiration came from the concept of recycling: is it good as we think? Of course recycling is better than wasting but the process of re-making goods with the one we recycled cause a lot of pollution. Designing multi-use disposable items we hope to reduce the multitude of disposable goods and decrease the amount of waste (even if is recyclable waste).”

SOYC: “Where did the idea of your project takes its origin and why?”

Jeon: “Since 2012, I have been interested in new concept of sustainable and minimalist straw. I was very curious about it. I don’t know why. I think that straw are very interesting object to design. Moreover, My idea of design is related to make things useful in ordinary life, making it more sustainable. Hence, I thought that straw was a perfect object”

Xijing XU, Tian WU and Yue LIU are three Chinese design students of the China Academy of Arts. They created a sustainable installation that shows the traditional Tofu production and that can be used during exhibitions.

SOYC: “Can you explain us what your project is and focus on its sustainability?”

Yue LIU: “Tofu Drink is a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional Chinese production process of tofu, simplified and conceived to be used during special events. By transforming the traditional instruments into an intuitive installation, it allows people with some simple interactions to see and enjoy in real time the whole tofu drink production cycle. In this wat the traditional tofu production has been represented in a contemporary context and tofu culture could be continued sustainably with the social development, people will enjoy the food culture and also be kept in contact with sustainable dimension of life.”

SOYC: “Why did you decide to create your project?”

Tian WU: “For us the sensation of the taste is deeply connected with the other feelings, which influences our understandings of culture and even our relevant feeling to a special culture group. From this perspective, tofu and other soja products as old traditional Asian food has played the role, which awoke our nostalgia. Although until today they still appear on the table in everyday life, the big industry production distance us from the origin of what we eat. It’s not a criticism against the mass production, but with a deeper perception of the form process, it allows us building a multisensory tasting memory for ourselves.”

SOYC: “What did inspire you?”

Xijing XU: “During the research in countryside in Anhui province, we have visited many tofu ateliers, where different kinds of soja food were made in a really performative way. These experiences have inspired us to present the beautiful process into a modern ritual, which makes the eater (or in this context also audience) come closer to the story of food.”

Monir Kazemian and Dario Ivone are an Iranian-Italian couple who worked together to create HUG, a hook set made of aluminium, a durable material. Below the interview we had with them.

SOYC: “What is your project and where its sustainability stands?”

Monir: “Hug is a hook set made of a durable material such as aluminum. it is a product with strong symbol effect that is recyclable and addresses the latest needs for sustainability. The high quality product with its form and substance leading to last longer. In addition, the product painted by powder instead of regular methods of painting. In this way, powder can be used immediately without mixing with solvents or catalysts which is more eco-friendly.”

SOYC: “What kind of internal environments does HUG adapts itself to?”

Dario: “It adapted perfectly for different taste and styles. No matter what is your wall composition, Hug is appropriate for various modern environments, from entrance to living room, from the office to hotels and restaurants. The elegant geometry and cutting leading to characterize the three shapes, giving new interpretation and defining them as a set of design icon which will elevate the atmosphere of your place and would give your room a modern vibe. Hug shares their values of simplicity, sustainability and multifunctionality.”

SOYC: “Where does your project take its origin and why?”

Monir: “Origin’s Hug come from combination of western and eastern art and skill.This Because it’s design by designers Monir Kazemian and Dario Ivone. They are a Persian – Italian couple attracted by the combination of western and oriental design. They have different cultural approaches that coexist with each other.”

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Daniel Skoták and Patrik Rešl are two Czech design students who created a refillable bottle made of bamboo which we can always be brought with us. Here the interview we had with them and what they explained us about their project.

SOYC: “Guys, can you please talk about your project and its sustainability?”

Daniel: “Our project is a refillable drinks bottle made of bamboo, designed for portability and reusability. We have chosen bamboo as our material as it is renewable, sustainable, and carbon neutral. However, the nature of the material is that it will eventually become warped by the presence of the liquid inside. In order to combat this, our design features a two-part outer layer, made of stainless steel, that is kept by the owner. This outer layer is fitted on top of the bamboo inner layer, which is affordably replaceable.”

SOYC: “Where does the idea of your bottle take its origin?”

Patrik: “The project was born of a conversation between two team members, regarding the unsustainable modern world. Disposable products are increasingly made of plastic and other unsustainable hydrocarbon based materials, which play a large part in polluting our oceans. Plastic as a material is not degradable, which results in plastic microbes entering the ecology of our oceans. This affects marine life, which eventually impacts people.”

SOYC: “Why did you decide to use bamboo to create your bottle?”

Daniel: “Bamboo was chosen as the material because it is fast-growing, which lessens the negative impact on its environment. It is also carbon-neutral, because it absorbs carbon dioxide while it grows. We want to support and join the ever-growing movement of sustainable design, as this is an element of products that consumers are increasingly looking for.”

SOYC: “Ok thank you guys. One last question: What did inspire your idea?”

Patrik: “This project was inspired by the use of bamboo as a traditional construction material in Japanese and other East Asian cultures. We were inspired by wanting to have a positive impact on the planet.”

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Christian Carlino is an Italian 33 years old designer who create some lamps starting from upcycled old televisions. Read the interview to discover where he finds his inspiration and other information about his project!

SOYC: “Christian, can you explain us what your project is about and how it can be considered sustainable?”

Christian: “Light and color, two fundamental states of our lives that govern and influence our existence. Each color influences in its own way what we are, how we live and the surrounding world. Starting from this reflection, I decided to give new life to some old and died iconic televisions to make them an integral part of our lives and to make sure that those interacting with them decide actively how the object should influence to us in a positive way. Each lamp is a unique object, the result of careful research of models and materials, with the aim of safeguarding a historical memory of the design of many models produced around the ’60s and’ 70s that at the time carried out their social function being also transportable objects. Everything is made in an artisan way and each model is linked to a record / artist that has marked the history of music from the 60s to 2001, the year of the first historical decay of the new millennium.”

SOYC: “How was born your idea?”

Christian: “The idea was born with the aim of finding a solution to reuse old televisions that I had collected at my vintage-style studio that remained unused; after a careful reflection on the use of furniture that the object itself covers today, I come to the conclusion that it is not acceptable that there are objects that after having undergone a careful design phase end up completing their life all ‘inside of landfills or thrown where it happens.”

SOYC: “And what did inspire you?”

Christian: “What inspired me can be found in the power that the energy fields and the frequencies have on us as human beings. Every vibration, every color, every object, whatever is present on this planet influences our lives. I asked myself how I could find a way through which the interlocutor was no longer a passive subject, but became himself the actor of his own life, leaving to him every choice and every joy in choosing through colors which feeling or emotion he wanted to live in this moment. I combined all this in a historical-cultural research that put the individual in the center thanks to the light, the colors and our inner powerand also laid the foundations for the diffusion of a culture of reuse towards the goal of ever greater respect towards nature for a more ethical and less wasteful future.”

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